A Final Case – Can you really Vote for Obama?

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The election is here, and after all the ads, rhetoric, pundits and political games, the truth remains, though hidden under the heap.

Will you return Obama for a second term? Has he earned it? Is it good for the country? Will he do a better job than Mitt Romney?

The answer to these questions is strikingly simple; let’s clear away the heap of campaign promises and jingles, let us look at the facts. No spin, no over-interpretations, plain simple vanilla facts. And then we will add some interpretation. Why not.

Mitt Romney

Romney’s case is a simple one. Mitt Romney is a fine example of an outstanding American, an accomplished individual, and unlike many accomplished individuals, one with a squeaky clean ethical record. He has not betrayed, lied, taken bribes, broken the law, had sexual scandals or any of the other niceties that plague many modern politicians (that we know of). True, part of the reason he is above some of those temptations is that he himself is wealthy and in less need of other wealthy people’s money. Not a bad thing.

Mitt Romney has set out to do things in his life and has done them well. He spent a quarter of a century in business and made many millions of dollars while growing and creating many new businesses.

Mitt Romney was called upon due to his integrity and business knowledge to manage on ailing Olympics in Utah. By all accounts, he did a great job of a seemingly nearly impossible task, and came out with a great Olympics, ran within the budget. Having already made significant wealth for his family, and tasted the fruits of serving the public and doing it well, he continued in politics. He was a Republican Governor of a very Democratic leaning state in Massachusetts.

There he proved his ability to work across the aisle, and his ability to balance budgets (each of the 4 years he was Governor), something sorely missing at the Federal level. He was a popular and successful Governor by many standards.

Having ran for President twice, Mitt Romney is well-groomed about the position. He has surrounded himself with excellent advisers and experts, and is very well acquainted with the domestic and international issues at hand. Few people know them like he has, twice having campaigned in virtually every state, debated so many of the issues both within the GOP during the primaries and more recently with his Democratic adversary. Personally, Mr. Romney is for some reason not the easiest man to like, he isn’t a car sales man or an easy big talker, but his reputation and integrity are stellar. He is a family man, devout to his faith, and placed his entire wealth in a blind trust, so that he does not spend any of his time working on or worrying about his own investments but rather can focus on his public service. This also one would think removes any potential conflicts of interest accusations, though he gets them all the time anyways.

Ideologically, Mitt Romney is a moderate. This does not make him an ideal choice for the Lighthouse, but it is the truth. He believes in the mainstream American values that are classic in that country. There is nothing about him that should make any American, regardless of liberal tendencies, afraid of voting for him. In short, Romney is a good man, an able and intelligent man, with a mainstream American core. Hey may not turn out to be a Great President (though he has a chance to and hopefully we will be able to find out), but he most definitely can be a more than decent one.

Barak H. Obama

Barak Obama was elected the first time around without a record. He was a junior Senator from Chicago who prior to that, had not done pretty much anything. Though the America he seemed to so hate (remember his wife saying that she was proud of her country for the very first time when her husband was elected President – what class) so much had afforded him every opportunity and the American Dream itself.

While his brother reportedly lived off $1 a month in Kenya (Obama, being so magnanimous as he is, could have sent him a hundred bucks and supported him for the next decade but he didn’t), Obama was able to attend Harvard Law and join local politics. Prior to being a senator, and being a “community organizer” as he called himself, there isn’t record of him doing much (at least not much good) other than hanging out with shady characters and radical leftists. You have the thug and corrupt mentality of the Chicago Democratic machine in combination with academic type extreme leftists. This is the environment the political Obama was brought up in.

No need to bring up the names and details of that past, it has been brought up plenty before, but sufficed to say there is nothing good there.

As a Senator, his only notoriety was in continuously demanding that the US lose the War in Iraq, opposing the Bush Surge, wrongly predicting it would not work, and from the get-go always demanding that the troops be brought home immediately. Today, as President he claims credit (as I predicted 4 years ago) for victory in that war, won by the soldiers who do not share his values, and led by the man who fortunately did not listen to his advice, George W Bush.

So Barak Hussein Obama was elected without much of a record 4 years ago. True he had never held high office, true he had never been an executive of anything, true he was a junior legislator with little experience, true he had no private sector experience but who cares? It was said his intelligence superseded the need for experience, and in any event that is why he picked Joe Biden as VP (that nutjob), to fill him in on experience. Obama was special, he was going to heal America, and turn back the waters. He was post-racial and post-experience requirements. His radical leftist ideology? Who cares about that either, there was a financial crisis so the voters had to revolt in disgust (where is there disgust now?).

Fair enough, Obama was elected without a record, and based on promises. This time around he has a record, one of those same promises, now all broken. He no longer has only been a community organizer, and a brief absentee Senator (he had a terrible voting record – not present or abstaining), now has been Commander in-Chief, President of the US and leader of the free world for four years.

This is his record now:

Barak’s record was poised to be a good one back in 2008 by sheer circumstance. A President who takes over in the middle of a recession, or already at the early recovery phase, as it seemed was the case when Obama took over in 2009, will get to preside over an economy recovery and reap the credit. That is the nature of recessions, they start and end. We have a business cycle often outside the hands of the President. On the other hand, too quick of a recovery, and by the next election, people will not even remember that there was a recession, as happened to G W Bush who inherited a recession after the Dot Com crash, compounded by 911, but was way out of it by his re-election campaign of 2004. By being less successful or less lucky, a later recovery will be fresher in the minds of the voters.

On the other hand, the same issue existed with Iraq. Though Bush had bore the brunt of the political pain for this unpopular war (extremely popular when it started, not so popular once it did what wars tend to do, get tough), his perseverance had managed a victory after all. Obama stood poised to, by simply following Bush’s signed treaty with Iraq’s new government, bring the troops home in Victory and usurp the credit.

Troops brought home, a war won, and a recession ended, all by doing nothing, seems a perfect recipe for a re-election. However, Obama cannot do simply nothing. He instead messed everything up.

Promises:

Obama made and broke literally dozens and dozens if not hundreds of campaign promises. It was one of the most “Messianic” campaigns ever on record. Everything was promised to everyone. But here are a few of the major ones.

Fix the Economy –

Of course by far the biggest and central theme to Obama’s Campaign is that he would fix the economy and lower unemployment. This is what largely got him elected as he convinced the American Voter that the financial crisis was Bush’s fault, and he could fix it. He has since not only failed miserably but continued to blame Bush throughout his entire term..

This is central to his Campaign promises. He did not say that the situation was terrible, it was Bush’s fault, and though that it was near unfixable, people should vote for him and he will “see what he can do”. He also did not say this had to be fixed in more than 4 years. On the contrary, he made wild promises and deadlines, which he continued to make even after he was already President.

The President made many promises about how he would improve the economy in the first 100 days, the first year, and the first two years. However, in his most CONSERVATIVE and modest promise, he pledged to fix the economy within three years. Fourteen months later, while already President, he doubled down on that promise and said missing that deadline would make his presidency a “one-term proposition”. Voters should not allow him to break that one too.

Unemployment has been at record highs his entire term and remained above 8% for the longest period since the Great Depression. Endless bailouts, and stimulus spending that promised millions of “Green Jobs” failed to curb unemployment though wrecked havoc on the budgets and deficits.

Half the Deficit in First Term

Most people on either side of the political spectrum agree that America’s mounting deficits are a threat to national security and the survival of the country, the Fiscal Cliff as it is known. Obama made a large part of his campaign, the promise of reducing those deficits. In fact, he promised to reduce the deficit in half, by the end of his term.

Instead, he nearly tripled it.

2007 – Under Bush – $161 billion – After the Dot Com Recession, September 11, the two expensive Wars, Natural Disasters such as Katrina and the beginning of the financial crisis.

2008 – $459 billion. The last full year under Bush – As the Financial Collapse intensified, bailouts, TARP, wars continued, foreclosure crisis etc.

2009 1.4 billion.- First year under Obama. Even as the financial bailouts were behind him and the wars wound down.

Since then through 2012 the yearly deficit has stayed at around 1.3 billion. Obama nearly tripled the yearly deficit, when he promised to cut it in half.

Guantanamo

Obama consistently attacked George W for continuing Military tribunals of terrorist suspects, of holding terrorists without trial, and most specifically of holding them at Guantanamo. Not sure what everyone hated about those specific accommodations, but that’s what it was. He promised repeatedly to close down Guantanamo Bay.

His Campaign Website clearly stated: “As president, Barack Obama will close the detention facility at Guantanamo.”

It remains open, full of terrorist captives till this very day. Military tribunals go on, and suspected terrorists are still held without trial.

In 2011, Obama signed an

executive order making a number of changes to policies regarding those detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In a reversal of his previous policy, the order resumes military trials for Gitmo detainees. It also establishes a “periodic review” process for for long-held Guantanamo detainees who have not been charged, convicted or designated for transfer, “but must continue to be detained because they ‘in effect, remain at war with the United States,'” according to a White House fact-sheet.

Foreclosure prevention Fund of $10 billion

Obama promised a $10 billion fund that will help 9 million households save their homes.

His promises actually encouraged many people to stop paying their mortgage.

Instead, after 4 years, the program has cost the taxpayer $75 billion instead of $10 and only marginally helped 2 million households. It was a complete failure.

Neil. M Barofsky wrote that even Obama’s Treasury Secretary admitted that the program “won’t come close’ to fulfilling its original expectations, that its incentives are not ‘powerful enough’ and that the mortgage services are ‘still doing a terribly inadequate job,”

Obama promised to Expand the child and dependent care credit

He didn’t.

To Create a Retirement savings tax credit for low income families.

He did not.

Obama promised to End Income Taxes for Seniors Making less than $50,000

Will eliminate all income taxation of seniors making less than $50,000 per year. This will eliminate taxes for 7 million seniors — saving them an average of $1,400 a year– and will also mean that 27 million seniors will not need to file an income tax return at all.

He did no such thing.

Obama fervently said he would repeal the Bush tax cuts for higher income households. Of course, he did not.

Naturally, he said he would

Allow Americans to buy their medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower outside the U.S.

He did no such thing.

What about his Promise to Double federal funding for cancer research

Sorry.

Transparency

Obama promised to be run the most transparent administration in history. Some of the promises were good, others were absurd. He broke them all. There has never been a more secretive or close administration. Complaints under the Freedom of Information Act are rampant.

He promised to allow five days of public comment before signing bills into law. He broke that repeatedly. He said specifically his Health Care Debate (what eventually became Obamacare) was to be Televised. It was all done in secret behind closed doors and not including Republican lawmakers.

He promised that under Obamacare, he would cut the typical family’s premiums by $2,500 a year. Naturally, he raised them by that much instead.

He vowed to create a public option health plan for a new National Health Insurance Exchange (where providers could compete to attract consumers who would save).

Not this time.

What about simple promises like Increase the Minimum Federal Wage to $9.50 an hour?

Nope.

Taxes:

Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes,

False, Obama has raised various taxes for all Americans, inside and outside of Obamacare in addition to the massive debt burdens he has left on taxpayers as deficits but left unfunded.

Immigration:

Immigration reform was a cornerstone of his 2008 campaign. It is part of the reason he attracted a large sector of the Hispanic voter population and other immigrants. He promised comprehensive Immigration reform, to crack down on illegal immigration, strengthen the border, and that though:

I cannot guarantee that it is going to be in the first 100 days. But what I can guarantee is that we will have in the first year an immigration bill that I strongly support and that I’m promoting. And I want to move that forward as quickly as possible.

Just kidding on that one. What he has done instead is had the Federal Government refuse to cooperate with state and local law enforcement agencies to curb illegal immigration, human trafficking, violence and drugs coming across the border. He has also sued the states that have tried to help him enforce Federal Law or protect themselves from the forces coming northward across the border that the Federal Government is unwilling or unable to stop.

So while Obama has not fulfilled virtually any of his Campaign promises, there is quite a few things he has done.

He has apologized for America around the world.

He has betrayed friends and emboldened enemies.

He has bent to Putin’s will at every turn, and received nothing in return. Abandoning Eastern Europe, the governments of each state has successively switched to a pro-Kremlin faction.

He has quarreled with one of America’s greatest ally, and the only true Democracy in the Middle East, Israel. He has bullied them to enforce racist laws where Jews (“settlers” as he calls them) cannot be allowed to live in certain parts of Biblical Judea and Israel because they are Jews. Perhaps most irreparably he has blocked Israel’s every attempt to defend itself against the rising threat of Iran and her nuclear ambitions.

Barak Obama was able to squeeze defeat out of the jaws of Victory in Iraq by failing to achieve a long term status of forces agreement with the new government. He squandered the potential benefits and risks everything that so many died to achieve at such costly a price. Neither this nor anything else of course, stops him from claiming credit for victory in Iraq.

Pathetically attempting his own “surge” in Afghanistan, though he has neither the understanding, intelligence or steadfastness for war, and needed to defeat an enemy who has some of the former and much of the last; the result has been wasted lives, inconclusiveness and a failed state, and an ever stronger enemy that waits for his announced deadline of withdrawal to try to seize power and hope to not die of laughter. (Years ago predicted on that outcome)

When the people of Honduras and elsewhere have risen to challenge enemies of America like Hugo Chavez, and to protect their constitution and freedom, he has betrayed them and supported their slavemasters.

On the other hand, when anti-American Islamist forces have emerged to seize power in states whose rulers were friends with the US in the fight against terror, and in the quest for regional peace and stability, Obama quickly has each and every time thrown the allied rulers under the bus and supported terrorist, communist and Islamist factions to seize power. The results of this catastrophic policy, we are only beginning to see and it was well depicted with the murder of a US ambassador and 3 of his brave colleagues. State Department staff bravely working where their country needs them and who were refused the security assets they requested and were readily available.

To make matters much worse, Obama and his administration then engaged in an ongoing cover-up and chain of lies about the event and its circumstances.

Barak Hussein Obama has allowed Iran to be 4 years closer to a Nuclear bomb. An emboldened Iran who laughed at the President’s naive polices of “reaching out”. Not only has he failed to take action to curb Iran’s genocidal ambitions but has physically blocked Israel from doing so with the US Air Force stationed in and around the Persian Gulf and Iraq (until recently).

Domestically, he has shown the folly of socialist whimsical thought, the incompetence of academic leftist ivory tower thinking that assumes it is superior to the real working and thinking and acting free people. His onerous regulations have stifled every innovator, every small business who has tried to achieve, to earn, to produce, to serve consumers and to create jobs, in these difficult times. His Federal watchdogs, agents, marshals, environmental goons, and other refuse go around indicting arresting and suing hard working Americans who are guilty of wanting to earn (and not demand by entitlement) a piece of the American dream. Personal liberty and freedoms along with the Constitution have been flushed down the drain by this administration that yearns to remake America.

Gd only knows how far they will get in a second administration.

I understand that Barak Hussein Obama hates America as you and I know it. I understand that he believes in a completely different world, one without national sovereignty, without personal freedoms and accountability, one without superpowers, one without rich people but plenty of poor. Rather he envisions a mediocre but Fair internationalist society where multinational governments and corporations wield enormous powers over society. The nation is not powerful but the systems are, and the individual is reduced to an ant in ant-farm who lives with a low carbon footprint, uses mass transit (since cars are banned) and thanks his lucky stars (because Gd is banned too) and the elites such as Obama that if he gets sick he can have mediocre care at no extra cost… the cost he has already paid, his slavery to a bureaucratic system that will chain him down from the cradle to the grave.

I know Obama believes in that, and it doesn’t surprise me, such is his background, such is his ideology, but what did surprise me is that the American people elected him as their President in 2008. If they do so again, they surely deserve him.